Arevalo wins another major title – Barcelona 2012 – Day Four morning Report

BarcelonaEider Arevalo setting a World leading performance added another major title to his name when pacing himself perfectly to become the first Colombian athlete to win the men's 10km Race Walk gold medal.

Arevalo winner of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup over the distance in May during an ever changing race, bided his time in the pack before demolishing his rivals and wining in 40:09.74 ahead of Russia's Aleksandr Ivanov and Guanyu Su of China who set personal bests of 40:12.90 and 40:16.87.

The 19-year-old Colombian at the front after the bell, put in a secondary kick with 300m remaining then produced a second burst a 100m later.

He then sped around the second last bend which effectively destroyed the threat of Ivanov who had no answer to the prolonged change of pace.

"During the race I didn't want to be the leader. This race could have been won by a lot of athletes," said Arevalo, who will now represent his country at the London Olympics. "Next week I will go to Newcastle to prepare for the Games."

The early part of the race initially featured the pre-Championship World Number 1 Ben Thorne until the Canadian was disqualified with 11 laps remaining and Takum Saito who did much of the donkey until seven kilometres.

Even though fading in the last two laps, Saito the leader in 20:34.07 at the halfway point was rewarded with a Japanese record of 40:19.10.

Kipyegon impresses in 1500m qualifiers

World leader Faith Kipyegon warned her rivals for the 1500m title they will have to go into overdrive to prevent her returning Kenya to its former ascendancy over the distance.

The 18-year-old who at the SDL meeting in Shanghai clocked a time of 4:03.82, never had to work hard, leading for almost the whole way and posting the fastest time of the day of 4:10.17.

Now she will be intent on scoring her nation's first victory since Irene Jelagat's success six years ago, although Senbere Tefere will be determined to keep the winner's crown in Ethiopian hands.

Tefere got her tactics right in her race, controlling it well to cross the line in 4:10.78.

Kipyegon's team-mate Nancy Chepkwemoi was just as dominant in the final heat winning in 4:13.43, making the trio definite favourites for the podium positions.

Also in the final will be last night's 800m silver medallist Jessica Judd who after a short recovery from three races at that distance recorded a season's best 4:14.64.

Men’s Steeplechase

Ever since the 3000m Steeplechase was added to the Championships’ schedule in 1988 Kenya has won the gold medal and on Sunday either Gilbert Kirui or Conselus Kipruto is expected to succeed the previous 12 title holders.

Kirui set the ball rolling giving it about a lap before hitting the front and proceeding to motor around his seven-and-half laps of the stadium to win in a time of 8:26.58. Morocco's Hicham Sigueni was a distant second behind him in 8:37.94 with Meresa Kahsay on his tail earning the Ethiopian a PB 8:38.01.

Kipruto tipped as favourite took his qualifier in an even faster time of 8:19.46.

Eritrea's Weynay Ghebresilasie was well behind him crossing the line with a mark of 8:37.01 while Jaouad Chemlal from Morocco followed behind in a time of 8:41.05.

Meanwhile, the men's 800m heats were brought to life very early when in the third race Jena Umar went off extremely quickly and flew the bell in a time of 51.67 with the pack 20 metres in arrears.Umar began to fade quickly down the back straight and was closed down by his rivals with 200m remaining. But the Ethiopian wasn't a spent force and finding hidden reserve earned himself a place in the semi-finals only 0.19 behind Jamal Hairane. The Qatari saw himself post a new PB of 1:47.61.Botswana's World leader Nijel Amos who ran a terrific 1:43.11 in Mannheim, Germany, a month ago, controlled his qualifier winning at a canter in 1:48.31 from Elnazewr Abdelgader of Sudan who lowered his season's fastest to 1:48.66.

Sprint hurdles first round

Noemi Zbaren last summer's IAAF World Youth Championships 100m Hurdles silver medallist was easily the fastest performer in the first round when winning in a fairly quick time of 13.34.

The Swiss 18-year-old produced a very fluent display which was helpful to runner up Germany's Alexandra Burghardt who progressed into the semi-finals when lowering her PB to 13.49.

Russia's World Number 1 Ekaterina Bleskina and Germany's Franziska Hofmann four places behind her in the rankings were next fastest both with minimum effort running the same time of 13.42.

The quietness of a cool Friday morning in the 1992 Olympic Stadium was shattered just before Michelle Jenneke went to her starting blocks in the second heat. A big contingent of Aussie fans wearing her portrait on their National vests and T-shirts, chorused their support.

The off-track tactic from the supporters who had made the lengthy trip to Barcelona worked, as she clinched her qualifier with a healthy win by 0.19 ahead of China's Dou Wang with a time of 13.52.

In field qualification rounds

Maryia Kuchina strongly tipped to take the High Jump gold medal home to Russia for the first time since Marina Kuptsova's victory 14 years ago in Annecy, had a first attempt stutter at her opening height of 1.75m.

But Kuchina a 1.97m performer at her best indoors and 1.89m outdoors this summer, cleared with her next effort and then kept a clean sheet until attaining the automatic qualifier of 1.84m.

With the temperature rising to 26 degrees, Seychelles’ athlete Lissa Labiche and Italy's World leader Alessia Trost, made no mistakes in hitting that target without any errors while four other also qualified by right.

Anna Rüh who almost a month ago produced the best ever discus throw by a junior woman for five years qualified comfortably for the final on Sunday although needing a second attempt before hitting the automatic qualifier of 55.25m.

Rüh may be regarded by some as the red hot favourite for the gold medal but her fellow German Shanice Craft has a very good reason to defeat her. If successful she would become the first ever women in Championships history to notch a shot put/discus double.

Craft ranked second in the World rankings - only 22 centimetres separates them - needed only her initial throw and that was the best of the morning winging its way out a distance 55.75m.

Behind the German pair, other medal contenders fourth ranked Shelbi Vaughan of the USA and Thailand's Subenrat Insaeng qualified by right although China's Siyu Gu made the cut throwing 51.66m as one of the top 12 finishers.

Second day in Heptathlon

Tamara De Sousa the overnight leader continued to lead the Heptathlon, the Brazilian clearing 6.06m in the Long Jump for an overall score of 4506 points. Yorgelis Rodriguez is second her 6.10m leap raising her total to 4433pts.

The chase for the bronze medal position is more intense, Swede Sofia Linde (6.12m) and a tally of 4370pts having only a 14pts advantage in front of the USA's Kendell Williams who cleared 6.11m.